BEIJING - China, urging Russia and Estonia to resolve their latest dispute, said Tuesday it remains grateful for the Soviet Red Army's help in its fight against Japan.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said her country hoped Russia and Estonia can resolve the issue arising from Estonia moving the statute of a Red Army soldier in Tallinn through friendly consultations, adding that Red Army graves in China would be carefully preserved.

She was commenting on last month's incident in which Estonia moved the Red Army soldier's statue from center of its capital to a military cemetery in the southern part of Tallinn, Xinhua reported. The action set off violent protests from ethnic Russians in Estonia as well as rebuke from Moscow.

Jiang said the Red Army had made a huge contribution to the victory in the worldwide anti-Fascist war and that China was deeply appreciative of the Red Army's support during the Chinese people's war against Japanese aggression.